


Quintessential

by ShariDeschain



Series: Batdictionary [12]
Category: Batman (Comics), Batman - All Media Types, Batman and Robin (Comics)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Bruce Wayne is a Good Dad, Father-Son Relationship, Fluff, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-24
Updated: 2018-02-24
Packaged: 2019-03-23 14:07:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 992
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13789320
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ShariDeschain/pseuds/ShariDeschain
Summary: Quintessential(n) most essentialOr, Bruce tries to be a good dad.





	Quintessential

Gotham under the rain is more grey than usual, almost melancholic.

They’re stuck in the traffic, on their way home after a long day at WE. Bruce’s just gotten off the phone with one of their publicist, and Damian, next to him, is playing with his phone, totally absorbed by a colorful game Bruce’s never seen before. There’s silence in the car, which is a little bit weird after all the office noise. Not unpleasant, though.

It was never silent when it was Dick riding with him, Bruce remembers. He would always chatter about this or that, his nose glued to the car window. _Look at that woman_ , _did you see that dog?_ Yeah, with Dick there was never silence.

Jason, on the other hand, had liked the quiet. He’d always have a book with him to read, and Bruce has a vivid memory of him curled up in the same spot Damian is sitting right now, legs tucked under him, his attention totally captured by the pages.

Tim had been a combination of his predecessors. Shy at first, vividly curious later, then always busy working on something when they rode together. Bruce doesn’t even remember when it was the last time it happened. Feels like centuries ago.

And Damian… well, Bruce doesn’t really know about Damian. He doesn’t have enough data on him on the matter. Just like he doesn’t have enough data on him in general.

So he does what Batman would, and he observes his son for a while. The sharp profile of his face that only rounds up a little around his cheeks and his nose, the soft strands of hair on his forehead, the arching of his eyebrows in a frown so similar to his own, the pointy chin that’s all Talia. It’s weird, this wonder he feels every time he looks at Damian and finds him so familiar and yet so unknown.

He feels - not for the first time - the strong, sudden urge to reach out.

He clears his throat, and carefully considers how to start a conversation with his son.

“Is your phone that much more interesting than your father’s company?”, he asks eventually

In his intention, it should’ve been a joke, but he forgets to smile and the words come out serious enough to make Damian jump.

The boy looks astonished for a moment, then shame replace the surprise and he quickly hides the phone in the pocket of his hoodie.

“Sorry, Father”, he apologize.

And Bruce feels… mortified.

“Damian, no. I didn’t mean… I was only joking.”

The boy shrugs, looking still very embarrassed in spite of his attempts at hiding it, and Bruce doesn’t know how to explain to his son that it wasn’t a scolding, that he would never scold him for something like that, that he’s just bad at joking.

Instead he turns away to stare at the drops of water chasing each other on the car window. He should’ve known. 

A phrase like that would’ve produced the desired effects with Tim and Dick, maybe, but it’s definitely not the right thing to say to a child like Damian, who was raised to never, ever disappoint.

Damian never tells a whole story when he talks about his childhood, but the bits that he so carefully lies there for them to pick up are more than enough for Bruce to recreate the picture in his mind. The horror. And he wishes he had the words to explain to his son that this horror he feels doesn’t have anything to do with him, that it’s all for himself, for the things he didn’t do, the things he should’ve done. What was he doing while Damian learned how to kill a man five times his size? What party was he attending while his son held a sword for the first time and studied the most effective way of cutting an enemy’s throat with its edge? How many children did the Batman saved while his own son was being honed into a weapon against him?

 _I’m sorry_ , Bruce wants to say. But Damian wouldn’t be able to understand.

“Have you ever played ‘spot the dog’?”, he asks instead.

Damian, who was busy studying his shoes, looks up at him.

“I don’t play”, he immediately reminds him, still on the defensive. And then: “What is spot the dog?”

“A challenge”, Bruce explains, making a mental note of never use the word _play_ again. “We look out the windows and the one who spots more dogs in the streets wins.”

Damian blinks, then frowns.

“And what is the purpose of this… challenge?”

“It.... helps develop your attention to detail skills.”

“You just made that up.”

“Did not.”

Damian narrows his eyes and for a moment it looks like he has every intention of calling him out all the way home.

“And what do I win?”, he asks instead, after a moment of consideration.

“What?”

“If it’s a challenge it means that I win something”, Damian explains, rolling his eyes. “So I want to know what do I win. Is it another dog?”

“Anothe- no. Not another dog”, Bruce answers quickly. “Ace and Titus are more than enough.”

Damian crosses his arms combatively over his chest.

“That’s debatable.”

“No, that’s not debatable at all. That’s a fact.”

Another eye-roll.

“Whatever. What do I win then?”

“It’s... a surprise.”

Damian gives him his best unimpressed look, and Bruce has to admit that it’s a very good one. It just has no effect on him.

“C’mon”, he says, patting his lap. And when Damian gives him a confused look he explains: “We have to look out the same window for it to be fair, right?”

“Well… I guess.”

There’s still a moment of hesitation, but it’s short lived. Damian climbs over his legs to settle into his lap, and Bruce decides to overstep a bit and wrap his arms around him. Damian doesn’t protests.

“So… when do we start?”

**Author's Note:**

> [Tumblr prompt(s)](https://unavenged-robin.tumblr.com/post/171249481143/i-wish-you-would-write-a-fic-where-damian-is)


End file.
